Full circle
by JB Arget
Summary: Chrestomanci Christopher returns to the castle after Conrad's Fate. Are Gabriel destined to Gasp actually have a CONVERSATION?
1. Chapter 1

Note: I absolutely DO NOT own any of these characters. I'm simply borrowing them for a bit, like a child playing dress-up with her mother's clothes. When all the fun and games are over, the characters will be returned to their creator, hopefully no worse for wear.

This story starts almost immediately after Conrad's fate. When they arrive at Chrestomanci Castle. I don't want anybody to get it into their head that this is about how Conrad reacts to the castle though.

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It was chilly in the castle, when Christopher and I arrived. I kept a tight hold on his arm with my magic, to make sure he didn't bolt before I had a chance to speak with him. The child was shaking with fear, and I was reminded of a pet rabbit I once had as a boy. _The rabbit had looked so small and afraid, being stalked by my sister's cat. _

I loosened my grip on Christopher's arm.

The boy made a half-hearted break for the stairs, but I stopped him with a stern glance. He sighed, and mumbled something about meeting me in my office. I nodded, he had a lot of explaining to do.

Millie and Flavian were the next ones to come through the pentagram. The girl was wrapped in Flavian's coat, her teeth were still chattering.

"Are you quite sure that you're ok? You look a little pale..." said Flavian. I allowed myself a small smile, it was just like Flavian to worry about something so small. He liked children, this was why I allowed him to be Christopher's tutor.

I closed my eyes for a moment, remembering when Flavian had come to me nearly in tears, bearing news of Christopher's dissapearance.

_ "I don't understand it!" He'd sighed, looking someplace over my left shoulder, probably out the window. Flavian's face had been tight and closed with worry. _

_ Christopher had left his room in complete order. His papers were stacked in tidy piles, and most of his clothes were still folded neatly in their proper places. He hadn't even taken his comb._

"I'm f-fine," said Millie, but Flavian was right. Her round face had a pale, waxy look, like a full moon. There were deep circles under her eyes. I was glad to know that she would be taken straight to bed.

I turned my back to Conrad and Mordacai as they came through the pentagram. Leaving Christopher alone in my office might have been a bad idea. There was no telling the amount of trouble he could have gotten into, even in that short amount of time.

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Gabriel's office seemed even darker than usual. I paced across the floor, and tried to stay calm. What was the worst he could do to me, really?

Write a few lines? I could handle that, it's wasn't like I'd never written lines before.

But then, I'd never done anything this bad before. I briefly entertained the idea that the past couple of months were all just a nightmare, and I would wake up soon. The only question was, _where would I be when I woke up_?

As I rounded Gabriel's dest for the umpteenth time, something slipped off of the wooden surface and fell to the ground. I bent down and scooped up a thin, yellowed notebook.

On the cover was a name written in a child's uneven scrawl, "Gabriel". I gently flipped it open.


	2. Chapter 2

The pages of the notebook were cramped with uneven handwriting, and funny little drawings of people in old-fashioned clothing. If I weren't so afraid about what Gabriel might do to me if he found out I was reading his old journal, I probably would have laughed out loud. I must not have been _too_ nervous though, because I soon found myself squinting to decipher the messy handwriting:

_I had a nightmare and wet the bed last night. Father told me wetting the bed is a childish habit, and it needs to stop if I want to keep taking art classes. I really hope it stops!_

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My office seemed empty when I walked in, but there was an odd feeling about it. I could hear strange tittering sounds coming from under my desk. There was no sign of the boy.

"Christopher?" I called out awkwardly, "Are you there?"

The tittering was replaced by a small squeak and a loud **BANG**. I was astonished to find Christopher climbing out from under my_ desk_ of all places, awkwadly brushing imaginary dust off his clothing. He must have bumped his head on the bottom of my desk. His face was incredibly red, and he seemed to be trying hard not to laugh. I felt anger welling up inside of me, only to be pushed down by the castle spells.

"Hello Gabriel, I hope you're having a good day," said Christopher conversationally, "Pleasant dreams, I should hope." There was something strange about the way he was looking at me, with a wicked grin on his face. He'd been up to something. I decided to ignore his comment. Children could be incredibly illogical at times.

"May I ask what, exactly, was going through your head when you decided to run off and put my entire staff in an uproar searching for you? That was very inconsiderate, Christopher."

That wiped the smile off Christopher's face! I watched as a look of fear played briefly across his face, before being replaced by haughty rage.

"I wasn't trying to bother you," he said coldly, "I was trying to help Millie. But you wouldn't listen, you _never_ do."

The boy was getting the wrong idea of himself again. This was a tendency of his, trying to do things that were meant for adults. Sometimes I thought that he was so busy trying to grow up, that he forgot to enjoy his childhood. In the words of a poet from world 12 B, "_Gather ye rosebuds while ye may_".

"Did you ever think, that finding Millie may not have been _your_ duty? Did you ever think that it may have been a job to leave to the adults?" I asked, trying to set him straight.

"I-" began Christopher, the first word to what I knew would be hundreds of meaningless excuses.

"Of course not," I interrupted. Much to my suprise, he burst out in a sarcastic rage that was all his own.

"'_Of course not' _" he mimicked, "I'm not a _child_ anymore Gabriel! Why do you treat me like one? You know I can hold my own!"

I closed my head and sighed. Good lord, the child was wearing me thin!

"Christopher, you broke into this very office and stole from my safe! If that's not childish, then I do not know what is."

"It was _my _life to steal!"

We went on like this for quite some time, arguing without ever getting anywhere. I realized that he _would not_ admit that what he'd done was wrong. I was reminded of when he first came to the castle, as a ragamuffin little boy. Even younger than he was now. And maybe even more stubborn. I had to make him see the concequences of his actions.

"Christopher-"

"Go to hell," he said. The phrase wasn't shouted in rage, nor did it sound panicked. It was a simple statement. The words seemed to grow larger and multiply many times, filling the room. I sighed and sat down at my desk.

"Go to your room Christopher. You are not to leave this castle until further notice. Kindly shut the door when you leave."

The boy stomped noisily out of my office and shut the door with a slam. I pushed the papers off my desk and leaned my head on the smooth, cool surface. It had been a hard day.


End file.
